November 26, 2018

CTB Film Company’s movies at Russian Film Week in Britain

The third Russian Film Week launched yesterday – on November 25th, 2018 in London with Dunya Smirnova’s drama ‘The Story of an Appointment’, which had won the Best Script and Audience Choice awards at the Kinotavr-2018 film festival. The screening was held at the EMPIRE IMAX Leicester Square cinema – one of the most popular London cinemas. All tickets (750 seats) had been sold out long before the festival opening. The film was presented by the director and co-author of the script – Dunya Smirnova – and by the performer of one of the lead roles – Aleksey Smirnov.

‘We are expecting a record number of visitors this year’ – said Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of RFW at the press conference, that had preceded the opening ceremony of the festival. – ‘For comparison, the first Russian Film Week was attended by 4,500 people and the second – by 10,000. Thus, in the three years of its running, the Russian Film Week has made it into the top of five of the UK’s biggest national film festivals’.

Dunya Smirnova has paid her attention to the importance of the festival mission to build cross-cultural bridges between Russia and the UK. Presenting her film, she said she would be interested to see how British viewers will perceive the film. ‘I hope that the international audience will be interested in the personality of Leo Tolstoy. Moreover, one of the greatest Russian writers is just 38 at the time of events that are shown in the film. So, it means, that he is the youngest Tolstoy that you have ever seen on the screen’ – said Dunya Smirnova.

Vadim Lobov, co-producer and Synergy University executive director, said: ‘In past centuries the Soviet world admired the Russian ballet that became our national pride. And today’s opening ceremony, which was attended by so many people, gives the belief that our cinema will soon reach the same bar and take its rightful place in the world culture’.